


Dance With Me

by Wizzy



Series: Love Is A Scary Thing (Corpse Party Love Stories) [1]
Category: Corpse Party (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, scary mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-24 00:24:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4898368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wizzy/pseuds/Wizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes if you really want something you have to chase after it with all you've got; maybe then you'll have a hope of reaching it.</p><p>Schala's had a crush on him for awhile now. After some pushing from her best friend Kaori, she decides to make a move. Of course, things don't quite go as planned and Tomohiro's left wondering what to do. Will things work out for these two? Or will a heart be completely shattered?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kaori Interferes

“So, does he know yet?” Kaori's voice asked, tearing me away from my fantasy of the boy I'd helplessly fallen for.

“Just because you know, doesn't mean everyone else does,” I said, rolling my eyes. Kaori was that friend who was always trying to set you up with a guy every second that your single or always getting you to do crazy stuff. Sometimes she reminded me of my cousin Naomi's friend Seiko. Lucky for me and Naomi, Seiko and Kaori had never met. “Just because I'm not trying to hide it doesn't mean I want the whole world to know.”

She just shrugged and sat on my desk. “So when are you gonna put the moves on your lover boy?”

 _Hey Face, meet Palm,_ I thought, resisting the urge to carry out that action. “I've told you he's not my lover boy,” I groaned. No matter how many times I tried to tell her not to, she would still refer to him as my lover boy.  _Better get used to it._

 _You know it girl!_  If I was hearing Kaori's voice in my head, then I either knew her too well or she was psychic. Neither option was very thrilling.

“Oh yeah, did you here there's going to be a little party tonight?” My best friend gave me a mischievous grin. No doubt she had already come up with some sort of plan. I shuddered at the thought. “I bet your lover boy will be there.”

I really hoped he would be, but chances were against it. “Who's going to be where?” A boy's voice asked from behind us. Turning around, I found Ryosuke standing there with Tomohiro. For once in their lives, they weren't playing on of their little games. Was the world coming to an end? Just kidding.

“Nothing,” I quickly covered. The duo just shrugged and sat in their desks. I let out a sigh of relief. I didn't want Tomohiro to find out about my little crush.

“So when you gonna make a move?” Kaori asked again, poking my shoulder repeatedly.

“Ow! Okay already!  _If_  a certain song plays at a certain time  _and_  a certain someone  _is_  at a certain place,  _then_ I will do it. That work for you?” I finally gave in to her persistent begging. Since that certain someone was sitting close enough to hear the conversation, I'd avoided all the details. But Kaori already knew what all though certain things were.

“This is going to be fun.”


	2. Dance With Me

Tonight was going to be a fun night.

Everyone had gotten together for a party. Glancing around, I saw just about everyone from my class. Shimada was off somewhere, probably hitting on some girl. Kurosaki was busy talking with anyone and everyone while leading Kizami around. I didn't think he'd show up, but apparently he'd been forced to come along by Kurosaki.

I continued scanning through all of the faces, looking for the one I'd hoped was there. In the process, I spotted Emi and Tohko laughing and having a good time. Not far from them was Mitsuki and an unexpected face. Guess she forced Fukuroi to come with her.

In moments, I spotted the two I'd been looking for. Standing in the corner was the inseparable video game duo, Ryosuke and Tomohiro.

It was hard not to smile. This really was going to be a fun night.

“Your lover boy is here...” my best friend's voice taunted me. Kaori laughed at me. While she was the only one who knew that I had a thing for the shy boy, that didn't mean I was embarrassed or even trying to keep it secret.

“Oh shut up...” I laughed, giving her a playful shove. The music in the room was just starting to get good and I noticed a few of the others were dancing to it. As the next song started to play, I grabbed my friend's hands, getting her to dance with me.

“So, you gonna make a move or what?” she laughed as we moved along to the music. The two of us got some looks from quite a few people nearby. Some seemed amused, while others were confused. But me and Kaori didn't care at all. We were those kind of friends, the ones who could make a fool of themselves and just laugh along with everyone else, not caring what they thought even just a little.

“If they play 'that' song, I'll do it.” It was one of my favorites; if it played, then it would be sign to me that it was time to make a move.

Kaori had a mischievous grin on her face as she turned towards the direction that Tohko, Emi, and Mitsuki were. She gave a thumbs up, and I knew I was in trouble.

“You set me up!” I accused as she turned back to me. In response she just stuck her tongue out at me and disappeared among the others.

I glanced back where Tomohiro stood in the corner, playing one of his games with Ryosuke. No doubt it was one of those dating sims the two had been into lately. I heard the song starting to end, so I approached the lonely duo.

My song was starting as I reached him. Standing in front of him, he didn't notice me. Taking the game out of his hands and handing it to Ryosuke, I grabbed Tomohiro by the hand and dragged him out to where I'd been dancing with Kaori moments ago.

_Now that I have captured your attention,_

_I wanna steal ya for a rhythm intervention_

“W-what are you-” I cut him off before he could even ask.

“You're gonna come dance with me.” Smiling back at him, I noticed Ryosuke standing there, laughing at his poor friend as he was being dragged away.

“But I can't dance!” he protested as his face got red. Clearly he wasn't used to real girls acting like this towards him.

“Too bad.”

He had been right when he'd said he couldn't dance, but he went along with it. Soon enough we were just going with the music and forgetting all about everyone else. However, I did notice some people laughing as they watched us.

_Can we take it nice and slow, slow_

_Break it down and drop it low, low_

_Cause I just wanna party all night in the neon lights 'til you can't let me go_

_I just wanna feel your body right next to mine_

_All night long_

_Baby, slow down the song_

_And when it's coming closer to the end hit "Rewind"_

_All night long_

_Baby, slow down the song_

At this point Kaori was dragging other people out. Tohko and Emi even joined her in this, grabbing Kurosaki and Kizami and dragging them over. Kaori followed by dragging Mitsuki and Fukuroi into the middle of the crowd, forcing the two to go along. After she'd dragged enough people, she approached one person who'd been standing in the corner, laughing at the sight before him. With a that devilish smile she always had, she dragged Ryosuke out with everyone else.

_I just wanna feel your body right next to mine_

_All night long_

_Baby, slow down the song_

_And when it's coming closer to the end hit "Rewind"_

_All night long_

_Baby, slow down the song_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is 'Slow Down' by Selena Gomez


	3. I Don't Want The Night To End

It really had been a fun night. As I was getting ready to walk home, I heard Kaori calling out. “Hey Tomo, since Ryosuke's gonna be busy for awhile, why don't you walk her home?” Looking over at her, I saw she was standing behind a slightly confused Ryosuke with her arms around his waist.

She gave me a wink and I could just hear what she'd say if the two boys weren't so close.  _I'll keep this knucklehead busy so you can steal your lover boy for awhile._  I just laughed at the thought of hearing her say it.

“So, what do say?” I asked, putting on a sweet and innocent face.

That just seemed to make him a bit flustered. “I.. uh... I guess so...”

It was a quiet walk to my home. I lived with my mother, but she was away on business and wouldn't be home until tomorrow night. Tonight had been great, but as we got closer to home, the more it hit me that it would all be over soon.

“Are you alright?” Tomohiro's voice asked and I felt his hand touch my arm. I hadn't said anything since we'd left, which wasn't like me.

“Huh? I'm fine. I... I was just thinking that I don't want tonight to end.”

“Why?” He sounded kind of confused. I could understand why though.

“Well...” I stopped when I'd realized we'd arrived at my door.  _Time for goodbye, I guess._ I didn't want to say it, but he was why I didn't want this to be over. When we met in school, everything will have gone back to normal. After being so close, even for just a moment, the thought of going back to hardly talking to each other and just watching him from a distance was starting to hurt.

 _Don't be getting that attitude now Schala!_ I could almost hear Kaori's voice telling me. Seconds after, I heard the small chime of my phone telling me that she'd texted me.

_Invite him in! Your mom won't be home until tomorrow night. Have a little fun ;)_

I just laughed a bit and considered the idea. Letting him hang out here a little while couldn't hurt. Not like we'd actually do anything; he'd never make that kind of a move on me. “Would you like to come in? It's kinda lonely by myself.” After I'd said that, I realized how bad that sounded.

He looked the other way a moment, as if he were trying to find an excuse. “I really should go save Ryosuke from Kaori...”

I just sighed. “She won't do anything with him. She was just keeping him busy until we were gone. But I guess... if you don't want to....” I purposely made my voice sound as sad as I could. I was trying to guilt him into it, but I doubted it would actually work.

Tomohiro hesitated before answering. He seemed like he was caught right in the middle. “We can play a game if you want to,” I offered, trying to help him make up his mind. He eventually nodded and followed me into the house.

Yeah, tonight had been a great night. Instead of ending, our fun was only beginning.


	4. An Amazing Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the Mature rating comes in. If it weren't for this chapter, the story wouldn't even need a rating.

We sat together on my couch, playing a fighting game. So far, we'd been evenly matched and had been playfully taunting each other. This round though, I was losing pretty badly.

“How are you beating me?” I groaned. I'd played this game for countless hours. I was a master at it; he shouldn't have been able to win.

He just laughed at my frustration. “You just suck!”

“You wish!” It wasn't until his face turned red that I realized just how dirty that had sounded.

“You perv!” I shouted at him, pushing him over. “I didn't mean it that way!”

He just laughed at me again. Wanting to get back at him, I climbed on him with an evil smirk. His eyes grew wide when I leaned down and started tickling him. Kaori had once told me he was very ticklish, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know where she'd learned that.

The more I kept at it, the more he begged me to stop. As he was laughing and struggling to get away, I lost my balance. I fell off the couch, pulling Tomohiro down on top of me.

He was on his hands and knees, hovering over me. One look from him and I knew I was in trouble. “You're going to pay for that,” he laughed. Immediately he copied exactly what I'd done to him.

I couldn't stand being tickled. Despite my protests and begging for him to stop, he didn't let up. “Please don't!” I begged again, this time with tears in my eyes. That got through to him.

“I'm so sorry! Please don't cry!” he panicked as he climbed off of me, sitting on the floor. Sitting up in front of him, I put on a smile and pushed him to the floor.

Climbing on him, I sat on him. “No one tickles me and gets away with it,” I said much more seductively than I'd intended.

Tomohiro's face got bright red when he notice just where I was sitting on him. Getting an idea, I leaned down until my face was just inches from his, rubbing against him in the process. His breathing became uneven and his hands clawed at the floor. “Ooh, you like that, do you?” I teased, rubbing the tip of my nose against his. He didn't say anything, like he was holding himself back.

I pressed against him harder as I rubbed my body against his again. His hand tightened into a fist. He was trying so hard not to react, but my teasing was starting to get to him. Leaning down as I rubbed up against him a third time, I licked a small spot on his neck, gently biting down afterwards. This time, he couldn't suppress a soft moan.

As I bit down again, the chime of his phone caught my attention. Sitting straight up, I shifted back just enough to slip my hand into his front pocket and pull out his cell phone. It was a text from Ryosuke asking if he was still going to meet up with him.

Without even asking, I quickly typed back a reply for him,

_This is Schala. Tomo can't talk right now. He's a bit busy ;)_

“Don't say that, he'll think we're-” He stopped as I slide back into my previous position.

“Feels like someone's getting excited. Don't you want more?” I taunted, running my hand against the top of his pants. I leaned in again, brushing my lips against his for just a second before going back down to his neck. Gently pressing my lips to his soft skin, I started to suck at his neck, earning me an even louder moan.

I pulled away, licking the mark I'd left behind before pressing my lips to his. He kissed back fiercely. Brushing my tongue against his lips, I continued my teasing. Tomohiro's hands moved from the floor to my waist, his fingertips digging into my sides.

When his tongue licked my lips, I playfully denied him. Frustrated, he dug his fingers into my sides, forcefully slipping his tongue into my mouth as I gasped.

Without warning, he threw me off of him, pinning me beneath his body. With his hands holding my wrists down, he leaned down an whispered in my ear. “You tease, you'll have to pay for that.” His voice was like a whole other person. He wasn't that shy Tomohiro anymore; his shyness had been completely been replaced by lust.

That voice made my heart skip a beat. Beneath him, I was powerless. “Let's see how you like being teased...”

His lips attacked my neck, biting and sucking at my neck like a vampire deprived of blood. As hard as I tried to resist, I couldn't hold back my moaning. His hands released my wrists and busied themselves with removing my shirt and struggling with the clasp of my bra.

In no time, I was completely topless and trying to remove his shirt. He pulled away from my neck, and just smirked. One hand made its way up my skirt, rubbing the soft fabric on my panties. The other groped my breast, squeezing and massaging the soft flesh, making me moan even louder.

“To...Tomohiro...” I moaned, digging my fingernails into his back. He slipped a finger inside me, soon followed by a second, caressing the sensitive skin in a way that made me want to beg for more. When he leaned down, taking my other breast in his mouth and sucking on it, I was completely gone.

My hand immediately went to the zipper of his pants, undoing and sliding them down. I wanted him; I couldn't take it anymore. The lust had taken over and I had to have him.

Using all my strength, I pushed him off me, pouncing on him the second I could. I licked his tip before lightly sucking on it. Running my tongue over it, I took in as much of his length as I could, earning several loud, pleasured moans from my partner.

As I pulled back off of him, Tomohiro forced me down on the floor again, ripping off the last of my clothing. Now there was nothing left between us.

As his tip started to enter me, he'd gained control of himself again. He was breathing heavily when he stopped and looked down at me. Who knew he could be such a tease? “Please... no more teasing...” I begged. “I can't take it...”

Seeing that I wanted this as much as he did, he thrust his dick inside me. It hurt at first, making me cling to his chest until the pain was replaced by pleasure. When I was ready, he pulled out a little and slammed back into me, slowly at first, then picking up speed.

He kept thrusting in me harder until I felt him release inside me.

When he was finished, I just laid there, curled up against his bare chest.

“That... was... amazing...” I panted, trying to catch my breath. Realizing how sweaty the two of us were, I sat up slowly and asked Tomohiro a question. “I'm gonna go take a shower. Want to join me?”

After we'd showered and dressed, I cuddled up next to him on the couch.  _This is the most amazing night I've ever had._ When I glanced up at him, I was surprised to see that he'd been looking at me. Smiling at him, I planted a kiss on his lips. This time it was innocent and loving, unlike the one earlier that had been lustful.

Just as our tongues met, I heard the front door open and a voice calling out into the room.

“I'm home!”

Mom had come home a day early and I was making out with a guy she didn't know. I was screwed.


	5. Mom's Home

Hearing my mother's footsteps getting closer, I quickly separated from Tomohiro. She wasn't supposed to have gotten home until tomorrow night. Why hadn't she called to tell me she was going to be home early? Every other time she would call. Then it hit me: I'd turned my phone off when we'd started playing video games so that Kaori couldn't send any embarrassing texts while I was with, as she called him, my “lover boy.”

“Tried to call you but-” she saw me sitting there with a boy she'd never met before. Her gaze shifted to my neck and the look on her face went from surprised to furious. Yeah, we were both in some serious trouble.

After that, I couldn't understand a word she said. Everything seemed to come out as nothing more than angry mumbles. What I could understand was the look on her face. To put it simply, it looked like she wanted kill him. Obviously, Tomohiro was pretty scared. Anyone probably would be.

“Mom, stop!” I tried to say, but my words weren't getting through. Keeping myself between the two, I continued trying to talk to her. It wasn't working. “It was all me! It's my fault! All of it was my idea! He was just going alo-”

I was cut off as she slapped me. That time I'd gotten through to her. As I stood there, tears started forming in my eyes. It wasn't because of what my mother had just done though. It wasn't even from the stinging pain on the side of my face. As I stood there a moment after, I saw Tomohiro slip out the door.

 

_(Tomohiro POV)_

_You coward! You stupid, stupid coward!_ I mentally yelled at myself. Instead of running, I should have just manned up and stuck by her side. That's what Ryosuke would have done.

I slowed down and eventually stopped. While I'd been running, I hadn't paid attention to where I was going. Without realizing it, I'd ended up close to where Ryosuke lived. I glanced back in the direction I'd come from, unsure what I should do now.

 _What do I do?_  I felt horrible about running out like that, but I couldn't just go back now. If I were any of the other guys, I wouldn't have this problem. None of them would have run off like that. They would man up and face it. But, I wasn't like them; I was a coward.

 _Ryosuke would know what to do._ I felt in my pocket for my cell phone, but it wasn't there. She'd taken it out and then I'd left it behind.  _Well, I guess I'll just have to talk to him in person._

When I reached his house, Ryosuke's mother answered the door. “Ryosuke said he was staying with a couple of his friends tonight. I think it was Kurosaki, he said.”

 _Damn. That's back the other way. Guess I have no choice._ “Thanks Mrs Katayama,” I said as I started to leave.

“Oh, Tomohiro?” I turned and faced her. She smiled and tapped the side of her neck. Instinctively, my hand went to mine and I remembered what was there. I'd forgotten that mark was there. No doubt it would be the first thing the others would notice.

 

When I'd finally met up Ryosuke, Kurosaki and Fukuroi, I wasn't as panicky as I had been. However, I was a little surprised that Kaori was with the three of them. Apparently she knew some of what happened.

After I'd explained what had happened, minus the details of course, none of them knew what I should do. A moment later, I heard Ryosuke's phone. He looked at it and handed it to me. Looking at it, I saw a message from me. Or rather, my phone.

_If Tomohiro's with you, tell him that he forgot his phone._

It was kind of strange that she knew I would go to him. But then again, if you think about it, that made the most sense. Since I was worried about her, I quickly typed back a reply.

_This is Tomohiro. Are you alright?_

There was nothing but silence for awhile. Was she angry with me? She had every reason to be. If what Kaori had said about her was true, then just how hurt was she? Again I silently cursed myself for being such a coward. Then I saw the message she had sent back.

_I don't want to talk to you._

I've never been stabbed before, but I had a feeling that it would hurt a lot less than those few words had.

“That's cold man...” Ryosuke would say something like that. He was always better than me at this stuff, especially when it came to girls.

“Talk about bad luck. The one girl to ever show any interest in you and you screw it up so bad she doesn't want to talk to you.” Kurosaki may be a good friend of mine, but he could be a real jerk sometimes. Had I been a more violent type of person, I would have hit him for that comment. But I'm just Tomohiro, cowardly little Tomohiro.

“Some friends you are,” Kaori said to them, typing something into her phone. “You boys need to help him find a way to fix this while I handle his little girlfriend.”

Normally I would have told her that she wasn't my girlfriend, but I was still too upset by what she'd said to me.

_I don't want to talk to you._

No words had ever hurt me as much as those did.


	6. What Do I Do Now?

 Tomohiro didn't respond to what I'd said to him. Even though I'd told him I didn't want to talk to him, it still hurt that he didn't say anything. But I knew if he had said anything, it probably would have upset me even more.

After a few minutes, I heard my phone play Kaori's ringtone. I wasn't feeling like talking, so I answered it and immediately hung up. Seconds later, I got a text from her.

_So how did things go with lover boy?_

Now that I thought about it, it surprised me that she hadn't said anything until now. Normally, she would have sent about a thousand messages by now. Once again, it was like she was in my head again.

_I'd rather not talk about it right now._

Her response came almost instantly.

_So did you two get it on? ;)_

Only Kaori would ask a question like that in such a straight-forward way. Knowing her, she more than likely assumed we did. It wouldn't surprise me if she were sitting there with Tomohiro and Ryosuke right this second.

_Yeah._

I thought about writing more, but I just didn't feel it. What could really be said anyway? Knowing Kaori as well as I did, I knew she'd ask me a million questions until She knew every intimate little detail. Sure enough, when I saw her response, I knew she was going to keep asking about it until I'd spilled every little detail.

_I'll be there in ten seconds._

 

_(Tomohiro's POV)_

_What do I do?_ I kept asking myself that over and over. Even with Kaori and the guys' help, was there a way to fix this?

I knew that I'd screwed up. Running out like that was a big mistake, but that was the only thing I could do. If only I'd been more like Ryosuke or Kurosaki or even Fukuroi. Maybe then things wouldn't have ended up like this.

“Do you think what Kaori said was true?” I asked my three friends, unable to get tonight's events out of my mind. “Do you think she really feels like that about me?”

Ryosuke had already moved on and started playing that dating sim we'd been playing a lot lately. Kurosaki... well, I don't really know what he was doing. I was laying on the floor, just staring at the ceiling. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't take my mind off of what happened.

 _Did she expect that we'd up doing that? Or was it a mistake that it even happened?_ The more I thought about it, the more confusing it got.  _I know she at least liked me a little before all this happened, but just how much?_

Just then, Kurosaki's voice drew my attention away from those troubling questions, “Hey Tomohiro, you might want to read some of this.” Turning my head in the direction of the voice, I saw him walking this way with a cell phone in his hand. A _pink_ one _._

 _That's Kaori's,_ I realized. Then what Kurosaki meant became very obvious. Kaori and Schala talked all the time; so the answers I wanted might just be right there. Do I dare look? Normally I would never consider it, but with all this happening, things definitely aren't normal. Do I look or do I not?


	7. Talking About Lover Boy

“You know, you're being pretty harsh.” Kaori had been hear telling me that for awhile now. I didn't really want to listen to her, but I knew she was right.

Sitting on my bed, I faced her. “How would you feel if you were in my place?”

“That shouldn't matter,” she argued. “You really like him, don't you?”

 

_(Schala's Mom's POV)_

As I started to reach for the door, I heard Kaori and Schala talking.

“You really like him, don't you?” Kaori was saying.

I froze, silently waiting to hear more. Maybe there was a lot more to this than I had known. I'd overreacted a bit; I know that. When I'd seen that boy with her, I assumed the worst and was afraid she would make the same mistake I had with her father.

“Yeah, but still...” Schala sounded really upset. It was almost impossible to not feel bad. It made me wonder, does he care about her? “Why did he have to run out like that?”

“He was scared,” Kaori's voice answered her. Now that I thought back, he had looked scared. “You know how Tomohiro is. After all, there's a reason the girls kinda pick on him and call him... oh what was it again... ah,  _the_ _epitome of herbivorous men_.” It sounded like Kaori was trying to cheer her up at this point. I could hear them both laughing a little. “He can't even get a girl one those dating sims that him and Katayama play all the time.”

“You make him sound pathetic...” I smiled a little. Even when she was upset with the boy, she still defended him.

“I bet you had to be the dominant one the entire time too.” After that comment, I felt I should probably stop listening, but Schala's response kept me there.

“Actually, he was pretty dominant most of the time...”

That seemed to surprise Kaori even more than it surprised me. “He what? No way! He didn't tell us that he-” Kaori stopped before finishing that sentence. She'd just given away something she probably wasn't supposed to.

“What do you-” Schala started to ask, but then she realized what was going on. “You talked to him, didn't you?” It was more of an accusation rather than a question. “He asked you to come here, didn't he?”

“Uh... not exactly...” Kaori seemed to be at a loss for words. That was a first. “He was really beating himself up about running out like that and I was just kinda there with Katayama and Kurosaki when he came to them for help... He didn't ask me to do anything... I just... you seemed so upset... I thought maybe I could cheer you up by helping the two of you to fix this...”

Before I could hear Schala's response, there was a knock at the door. I made my way over and opened it. Standing there were four boys about Schala's age. Three of them smiled and pushed the fourth forward.

 _What was that boy's name again?_ “You must be Tomohiro,” I said when I remembered. The boy nodded quietly. I held out my hand for him to shake it, but he just flinched.  _Guess I must have given him quite a scare._

 

_(Tomohiro's POV)_

I just stood there, keeping my eyes closed. Despite knowing that I shouldn't be so scared, I was anyway. This was the same woman who had looked like she was going to murder me just a few hours ago. It was impossible not to be afraid.

Suddenly, something was on top up my head. I slowly opened my eyes, and looked up. Schala's mom's hand ruffled my hair like you'd do to a little kid. “Such a cute boy...” her mom laughed. It made her less scary, but only a little.

She was really tall... well, for a girl...  _I wonder if Schala would ever be that tall?_ I didn't like that thought. Schala was only a few inches shorter than me; I didn't want her to be taller than me. It seemed like it would be really awkward.

She was smiling at me, so I took that as a good sign. I ended up sitting with her on the couch, just talking about things. Well, she was talking, I was listening. The guys had left me alone here, so I felt a little too awkward to really say much.

After a few minutes, I heard a door slam shut. Looking over, Kaori was standing outside what I figured was Schala's bedroom door. As she kept trying to convince her to let her back in, a depressing thought crossed my mind.  _If Kaori can't even do anything to fix this, what chance do I have?_


	8. Trying To Make Things Right

“Come on, Schala! Let me back in!” It was almost impossible not to feel sorry for her as Kaori stood outside Schala's bedroom door. Poor Kaori was beginning to sound like she was on the verge of tears.

I couldn't just sit here and listen to this anymore. Remembering why Ryosuke had forced me to come back here, I made my way to the door.

Kaori look like she was about to completely break down. Carefully, I placed my hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to sit with Schala's mother. Even though I knew Kaori was much closer to her than I was, I felt like I could maybe I could get through to her. In a way, this was my fault and I had to make it right.

Knocking lightly on the door, I got a response immediately. “Go away!”

Without thinking, I almost turned and walked away.  _No, you have to do this now or you'll never get another chance._ “ Schala, open the door.” The other side was quiet a minute.

“Tomohiro?” Her voice was much softer. It almost sounded like she'd been crying, but I knew better than to think that. That was the one thing she didn't do. Schala was always happy and smiling; any thoughts otherwise just seemed impossible.

I sat down on the floor with my back leaning against the door. “Yeah, it's me,” I told her, keeping my voice calm and trying to act a bit more like the other guys would. “I'm not going to move from this spot. Listen, either talk to me or let me in. Whatever happens, we have to work this out. Alright?” Silence. “Schala? What's it going to be?”

No sounds came from the other side. I let out a sigh, but I stayed put. Thinking back a bit, I remembered how things were between us before tonight.

“Hey, can you at least tell me that you're listening?” I asked through the door. “I'd like to tell you something I didn't get to say before. But before I can, I need to know you can hear me.”

She was quiet again. “Alright.”

I smiled a little. Her voice always was kind of pretty. “The first time I met you, I thought you were a bit odd. You were with Kaori then, so I figured you were just like her.” To be honest, I wasn't sure where I was going with this. “The more I watched you, the more I saw how different you were. Ah... that sounded bad... What I mean is, the more I saw you and got to know you, the more special I thought you were. You were always so happy, like you didn't care about the little things that would have upset a normal person... Ah... that sounds bad too...”

For a second, I thought I heard a small giggle come from the other side. “I guess what I really want to say is that I-”

The door opened behind me, making me fall backwards. Looking up, I saw her staring down at me. Seeing her there and knowing that my words had reached her when even Kaori couldn't, I couldn't hold back a smile. I didn't even try to sit up as she knelt down next to my head.

Suddenly remembering the two in the other room, she stood back up. But instead of leaving the room or telling me to go away, Schala merely pulled me inside. As I closed the door behind me, she reached over and locked it.

My entire body tensed up a bit.  _I'm alone with a girl in her bedroom and she just locked the door._  Not really many possible things that could mean. Obviously it meant she didn't want whatever was going to happen to be interrupted. But could she really mean for us to... I didn't want to think that. Sure, I would really like to do  _that_ again, but we still shouldn't have done that unless we were actually together. That's how these things are supposed to work, right?


	9. Three Little Words

Noticing that Tomohiro looked nervous, I took his hands and wrapped them around me. All I wanted in this moment was for him to be right here with me. I buried my face in his chest as he held me. Being this close, I could feel his heart beating fast. Was he really that nervous about being around me?

Neither of us said a word. Breaking away from him, I grasped his hand in mine. As led him over to my bed and sat down beside him, Tomohiro seemed to only get even more nervous. By now, he looked like he was shaking a little.

“Why did you come back?” I asked him. It was more to calm him than anything. I assumed that by coming back that it meant he had feelings for me, but hearing him say it would be what I needed most right now.

He looked away, but that couldn't hide the fact that his face was red. “I... because I... well... you know... don't you?”

Why couldn't he just say it? With a sigh, I put my hand on the side of his face, turning him back towards me. “Say it. If you really mean it, then I want you to say it.” It didn't come out quite how I'd intended, but the pleading tone in my voice hit him.

When he was quiet, I moved my hand and looked away. Maybe he hadn't really felt the way I'd hoped. I guess I was just kidding myself, thinking he could possibly feel that way.

But the moment his hand brushed against my cheek, turning me back towards him, I could tell what he really felt. As he leaned in, I heard him whisper the words I'd been longing to hear. “I love you.”

Unable to contain myself, I threw my arms around his neck. Being right here was the only place I wanted to be. Those three little words were the ones I'd been longing to hear him say. “I love you, Tomohiro,” I said with a kiss.  
 

_(Tomohiro's POV some time later)_

“Does this mean we're-” I started to ask her if this meant she was my girlfriend now, but if I wanted that answer, I would have to wait. Looking down at her as she leaned against me, I found her to be asleep. Not wanting to wake her, I very carefully laid her down.

As I started to get up to let her be, her voice called out to me in her sleep. “Tomo...” She gripped my sleeve tightly, unconsciously begging me to stay. I couldn't leave her even if I wanted to. So instead I just laid next to her, soon drifting off to sleep as well.


End file.
